The Outsourcing Week in Review: Wednesday, July 11, 2018

Welcome to Inside Outsourcing: The Outsourcing Week in Review

Last week saw a number of top management changes at the big players in BPO. Omar Abbosh was appointed group chief executive for communications, media & technology at Accenture; Wipro made its global head of Wipro Digital Rajan Kohli a president, – part of the company’s global shake-up of top management; and Philippines-based P&A Grant Thornton appointed James Araulloa as a new partner.

There was also a steady stream of announcements on property developments. In the regions, the Palayan IT park project got sign off from the top – President Duterte; Malaysia’s AlloyMTD confirmed it will develop the P1.5bn IT park in Nueva Ecija, and Valenzuela’s Plastic City development announced it will have plenty of BPO office space available. Back in Manila, Eton Properties opened two new office buildings for BPOs, and Woods Bagot, the international architectural firm, made clear that the BPO market was very much in its sights for its A-grade Manila office space. Other significant developments were Wake Up Manila, another big job fair held in Manila which attracted about 4,000 job seekers. BPO firm Sophi celebrated its 10^th year operating in the Philippines.

Positive sentiment for the industry in the Philippines remains robust. Joining a growing list of august institutions forecasting strong growth for the country this year was global ratings firm Standard & Poor’s with a prediction of 6.5% GDP growth as likely. The Philippines government also presented its industrial development program, the Inclusive Innovation Industry Strategy (i3S) to Japanese investors for possible cooperation and investment. The i3S prioritizes the growth and development of 12 major industries, including the information technology-business process management, particularly knowledge process outsourcing.

On a corporate level, Sitel confirmed it will again sponsor the Contact Islands Conference 2018 in Cebu, and digital solutions provider Tagit displayed its confidence by opening a new hub in Makati. Bosch, the German power tools giant, said it expects its Philippine business to rebound this year. The company also operates the Bosch Communications Center in the country, which it uses to handle customer service enquiries from its ASEAN clients. With strong domestic and regional growth boosting consumer spending, international companies setting up dedicated customer service support in the Philippines to handle increased sales in the region could be a growing business driver to look out for.

News Roundup

09 July 2018

• Sitel sponsors Contact Islands Conference 2018 in Cebu – read more…
• i3S program includes development of KPO in the Philippines – read more…
• President Duterte approves creation of Palayan IT park – read more…

06 July 2018

• BPO firms join ‘Wake Up Manila’ jobs fair – read more…
• BPO firm Sophi to mark 10th year in the Philippines – read more…
• Valenzuela’s Plastic City development to include BPO offices – read more…

05 July 2018

• Malaysia’s AlloyMTD to develop P1.5bn IT park in Nueva Ecija – read more…
• Woods Bagot targets BPO firms in launching grade-A Makati office – read more…
• Wipro promotes Rajan Kohli as president – read more…

04 July 2018

• Bosch expects its Philippine business to rebound this year – read more…
• Digital solutions provider Tagit opens new hub in Makati City – read more…
• 6.5% GDP growth for the Philippines can be achieved – S&P – read more…

03 July 2018

• Eton opens two new office buildings for BPOs in Manila – read more…
• Accenture appoints new group chief executive – read more…
• P&A Grant Thornton names new partner – read more…

Read more Inside Outsourcing Newsletters here:

1. The Outsourcing Week in Review: July 4, 2018
2. The Outsourcing Week in Review: September 26, 2018